Drone helps officers locate teens who ran from stolen vehicle

  • Location

    4300 block Lien Road
    Madison, WI 53704
  • Incident Date

  • Incident Type

    Traffic Incident
  • Case ID

    2025-568730
  • Arrested

    13-year-old male
    14-year-old male
    15-year-old male
    16-year-old male

43.1210227, -89.3098405

This map displays an approximate location.

Incident Details

A drone helped guide officers to where four teens were hiding after ditching a stolen car late Wednesday night.

A sergeant was on the way to an unrelated call when he noticed a vehicle run a red light. 

A traffic stop was initiated around 11 p.m., but the vehicle took off and was not pursued by the sergeant.

The sergeant watched the vehicle from a distance as it fled through the parking lot of stores along the 4300 block of Lien Road.

The vehicle eventually slid off the road and came to rest in some shrubs. Four teens ran from the vehicle into a nearby wooded area.

A drone was launched and quickly located all four teens. They were taken into custody without incident. The vehicle they were in was reported stolen earlier on Wednesday.

A 13-year-old male, 14-year-old male, 15-year-old male and 16-year-old male were arrested for Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Owner’s Consent (Party to a Crime) and Criminal Damage to Property (Party to a Crime).

All four were turned over to the custody of the Juvenile Reception Center.

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